14 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The City of Wichita is putting a large pickleball complex in south Wichita. The City Council approved $6.15 million for it last April, with completion next February.
Now, the City wants to know how loud pickleball can be for neighbors.
The South Lakes Pickleball Complex is going in near Meridian Avenue and 47th Street South. The red locator indicates the plot of land where there will be at least 18 pickleball courts. A residential neighborhood is immediately north of it.
Across the country, cities are dealing with complaints about the loud pop from the paddle hitting the pickleball. Neighbors often say the sound is constant and disruptive from morning until night. A recent survey by Retirement Living used the number of outdoor pickleball courts to help determine the loudest cities in America.
But pickleball has millions of supporters. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association has named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for the third straight year.
Members of Wichita’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works and Utilities want the City Council to approve an acoustical study for the South Lakes project.
On Tuesday, council members will decide whether to spend $6,750 for noise level analysis.
If the Council approves the funding, the engineering and design team will visit the proposed pickleball site to see what the current noise level is with typical background sounds. The team will get daytime and nighttime measurements.
City staff members want the final report to include the following:
Comparisons of current noise levels with anticipated noise levels due to the addition of the pickleball court
How anticipated noise levels relate to property line noise level limits
Recommendations for potential noise reduction strategies
If the City Council approves the money for the noise study, the team will have six weeks to complete the report.